Office



le i

.L ettere atteint Telo. rali/Bffet?, lated Mey 23, 19,99.

Serial No. 625,092.

(No Spe aimeras) @cito/crit:

, Fmqpnrffii Viennot he Queen or" anu uneiul Improve L lxplosivee, of

invented e iliention.

ments in i which are more especially intended for use with Tirenll has reference more p lieulnrly to smoke il or seinisinolielese poiu rs of the hind or known ne dissolved or Condensed powders-thalis to say, those oonnitro-eellllre the principal or one of the principal ingredients eno. which have been subjected to the notion oL" a suitable sol vent or solvents to gele-Minze or to dissolve than;a

The objeet of the invention is to enable the densities und rates of combustion of sueh powdere to he regulated or varied, sind also to e vv'ele nneh larger proportion o' slowing or i taining materiel to be employed than hns hitherto been possible Without requiring the addition of ohjeetionnble inc-tallie nitr;l es.

'r Dieeolved or Condensed powders hnve neuvl 'eetion thutthe oompa proissolving' .nitro cellulose causes to oeonr only in lnyer; parallel originn'i euriV ee, the rete of combusien oeng oonipznativeiySlow, exeeptnthigh pfresenrer. Sonsequently to Ineke the pow burn in o gunlnnrel very thin gratins or s muet be employed7 or the grains moet be ineelninionlly erforaled at one or more points, so +he the burning surfaces do not decrease the Combustion progresses. Furthermore, with such oxplosivee it is inipossibleto use :mylar-ger percentage of what ere knoivn felowing or tstn1ing"ingre dient, *"1" .out un equally large :uhnixture on o1 enable meiullie nitrate. Consequentf or some i'irenrme such explosive onnnot he need because of the high pressures for their eomplete combustion. 'Ve-.rions attempts here been made to oven come this objection. Some propose to use 1re-al1; solvents or n method of maui etnie that inni-iet n less Jeompletely diesel l gelatinized prodnet, und others have mixed certain ingrediente with. the explosivo while in a plnetie elette and extracted them after Lgrnnnlfition, nmking n vesicular grain, while others mix with the nitro-cellulose base lnrge percentages of one or more of the more vi0- lent explosives, euch ne nitro-glycerine, nitronnennite, methyl nitrate, nud explosives of like nature. bow according to my invention l prepare dissolved or condensed smokeless powders by :my suitable method und l then Submit the powder to one or both of the following' processes.

The lrst propres is conducted in what l term the HSWelA. g b21-th, which eoneistJ of an aqueous solution of from twenty per Cent. l

to sixty-per eent. of neolventiorthenitro-cellnloee used-euch as ether, noetone, ketones, sind aeotie @there of 'the pnrninwmfinfl in this the granulated powder is allowed to eoztk,\vith or without agitation and the application or heat, for one or more days. After soaking the solvent is extracted by washing or by passing' in steam and oondensing; the solvent or by some similar process. This but-h maken the powder swell und inox-ense in bulk, the amount of inea-euse being` greater, the greater the :strength of the solution the higher the telnpeintiu-e or thelonge r the notion. ie continued. .it also nlieets the rute of combustion, so giving n ready moans olf regulating the density and combustion of any dissolved powder. Il any ingredient or ingredients in the grunulzitell 'ponder be soluble in this bath, the beth muet iiret be saturated therewith or the explosive before gmnulntion must have incorporated with it un additionnl-mnount of such ingredient or ingrediente, so that the bath lezl'ves the desired :tmountin the linished powder, '.lhe powder being' freed from its solvent is then dried for use. l

The substitute process is only applied to en ndmixture of the base, mentioned hereinafter, with n solid ingredient or ingredients which will melt bel \v the temperature of boiling Writer, and when melted hztvea. solvent notion ou the bose, suoli ns the iii-13nd trinitro derivatives of benzene, toluene, xylene, and nitro-hydroearbons of like nature. #The dissolved or oondeneedpowder made from euch ulniixtures ie grennloted in the usuel way, nud inn-y or may not be treated in Ythe swell- 'ing lizitili.

it. then lifiil iii :i liiith 0i' \\':iier :ii n ionipfiernllirl: filmini lli(` iiilliingqiiiiiii 0i' the :ifm-@inmit-ion@il iiigrilimit, t`iii one fir more hours. Thi; ctlci't (if this trrriiiiiuiit is tu iiizihc the rate (if 'oiiiliiistioii Yury :it lit`t`cieiiti points iii @zich grain, :iiii'l :is n cmiseqnence the burning siirimfvs iiici-iisfiy :is thcJ ooiiiliusbion progrifsses, whirli, :is will he well understood, miiililcs one tu iiri'iilnw :in explofiiv for iirwiriiis giiiiig,r hiv.' initiiil prosisnres. Also ity iiiiiiiiiii/,ws tih@y sloiviiig'zii'tiiin of the taining iiigrodimit, tiliiis :illiiwiiig' ihn use of :i iiinch hirgcr peromitrigc :inrl the iiiriduction of an explosiva lii very liiw limiting properties, owing,r Lo the sniiill :iiiioniity ol oxygen present iii itl. l `nrtlieriiiiii'o, ilie iisu nt large periiontngci t3` 'Llics imnwiiliitile stili- Simi/Ces, which :irc solvents for,iiitLrii-cigxlln- IOSQS, lessons the omit, of iiiwillnrtiiiii, i5 tliiiy require Voryniuc-li 105s volatile Solvent, tri dis Solve or gcliitiiiiiz ililini when iniiliiiigY iiitii grain.

'The dissolved mi' miiir'liriiiscil priwflw which I Lruzit :is :ilime nifl)V lin t'oriiiuil from :i limsi: i'. tiro-fixycelliilfise (if :iiiy ilrgigrmi fit iiiliriitiriii, ir lrfiiii :my:Uliiiixtnrix iiil` limsi; with :ir willirint nitro-glicerina. vW'tli this liiifi': iiiix, it` iirrwssniy, (iiimiiiiifii'c nit,r i-h)' li'tifzirliciiis i'rir rvgnhitinj; ir slowingA tlm (lliiiilmsiiiin finch :is Lii iiitru-:iiill:iiniiloiliirii'itirosiifthimrfiiinitic vries if wirlion (aoiniiriiiiiils, picriitc, nit io-nzi'iitlirils, r ji'fizi, graphite, iiiiil stili titliii' Siiliiitiiiii'vs :iri iniw i-iiiiiniiililjY ilstfil t'firlhispui-puso. Thei'iiiiiiiii\iii iii:inilgiziiiw hiiiiin fit' the iiiiwilmis'ol' winrar: :nlniiiwl for the iiiiiiiiisi; iiicinlwl. 'l`hi,x t'iilliiwiiigfirfi, hiiwwrur, ihrer* jgnvrnl i-fiiii iiiisii ii'iiis lihiiwmiii 'iliti liniiiv tit' wliirli iifiwflvrs ttii' wi'vry hinr'l it` lirmirni win iii; iiiiiiln ii)v in i' iiii'irfiis'st-.iz

Sm'oiul finiiiiiisit iiiii: Nil rO-f'riiiiiwsigiiiiiiiiy mr mini, i0 sixtivv iwiv centi.; nitrti-fglji'wriiiify mii per cont. in flirty nur cvnti.

'l'hlliovc in reililnis :im 'ilihui iiiiY-'Jii iiiA gclher iii tilivl wel, smic :iiirl thun dried or the dry iiilirn-nlhihihi` tiriwiiwl with ELS siili'iiiii. ifriiitsiiiiiiij,r the (iihcr ingrlriliffiitis iii miiiilirni,

position, init ity iiiiii iii'iin :iix'i to tfiirciiiy parts. liiwi'iiglit,t`iiii1i'riffiiiiiilnemlrml i' 43|" thiwiri iin-il wiiiiiirisiiiiin. imita lif-iiij;l iiiixel with thix ili'irtl c-aiiiiiil'isitiiiii li \iiii5' VnitrilihA iiiiiliiiils, the linie) is lwi'liiii :i viiiiin'fi ftiti'rssl t`ijir -riiin-liriiir ,\\'i1li nijwithmit' lli@ :iiiiiliffiitiuii ntf limiti., ii Mii thi; vziiiririi iii" thiA siilw-nt huw iitl'iwft'cii 'ihn snliritiincs tri lie iiissol'iiil, wlngii it is pl gil iii :in incorpiiiziiiiig ziii l niiA iir;I iinirlii` i. :vini kiiiiiulcil iii-wiirlmil iiiit ii ilnA whtilo is gtilzi iiiixed. The 4"hii iiiizffl iiniw is rullini iiiifi slit-Q15; fii fkiiCCrl iliriiiigh flics fit'ilotiiiitr tliiiiiiisi-ins @mi Mii-n wfiril livii'lili iiiiii griiinfi ir iniiiiiin: iii :my siiitiililQ iiiiiiiiiur. The. iiii'nfiiiriiiss til" thc j friiiinlzitifil iiiiwilir will rit uoiiro vary zi@ howling t'fi thi; purpose for 'which iiv is: nizifli'jr iiiiil thiA yinVl desired l`r0iii ihn explosive. 'l`liiis i'iir iiiilitiiry inn-giuste# :i iii fir liiiiiiiifi wiinlil 'vitry iii liliivhii s from tltifi iiih nii- 'ii'ririh whiliy tlii siiiirt iiio ritlns. f-1ii fi Uiiii, mit rini-tirtA iwirtriiiigmy ih@ tliicliiii i`i'( iii.t'l.tfrl5 iiii'li liiii'ii\\:ir i, i lritwl iiivviliii'ts iiifilv nim' lil irfiizifil thil tiilhiwiiiir iiiiitliml:

ifirsli. 'iflirgr iinijf l fzilfiil un ihr? 1 'ulliiigr linth, willi ir wit-think.tinI zifiiilioiitiiiii iii" liniii', ti) deurmat; ihn ilifiih'ily iiiil rng'nhiii: the Orinilinstiiini. 'Flins it` :i griiniihilil piiwtlr iiiziile of pura iiitiii-crllnliisv is liciitml with si twnnt' \'i crceiiti. :uineniis siiliitifiii if nacion@ the powder nhiiigrs iiiiur iiiil swilis, si: ihriii thi)y density tliormif. only iwo-ihii'ils of ihr;

:iiiil the huil; ;ii iirii;iiiii;i,tvr imi closely tti llnii of lilniifhV inw-'ling im :Y quench 0i" which ii:` will [ill inxixli ciiriiriiigw 21H05 iiiiicli heiter than coiiihiisml powilnrs thzit hzii'c not been Si treiitcrl; ifi-lso, itis coinlnisiitiii. is 0 iiii'ctcll thiiiI it will lniri niitlur 'muy lriw prwrinres :intl can Llierior be, im; i in guns wlnrrc ih@ original powder would li iiiily pi'ii'iizilly consumed, owing to the high iii-msi i vos noobsziry for coiiipleie conibiisiinii,

Berni-itl. Il' they contain rather largo p0r- L'riil'zig'us iit' showin;r iiiaiterinl or any nitroglycriii, they may lie :iiztiml on by the sweilin; hath only in the cold :imi the solvent ii'iiml i'i'oiii The oxplosive by washing it with riiiil ci/:iter lo :wohl the extraction ot." those iii.-iii'i:ils. After exti'iietiiig the iirilvfenii it i riiiitziiii in :grcilii nia iilizi, winni ilu-ml iizirtiiiilig' :iinstiivu ihQ bush iiniy in; lwiii zity :i tiiiiiiw :1li/)Vizi the iiiiiliingqiiiinh ot' thev :'Lfiiissiix, iiiirrmiiiiiity for :i tlctinitio iiiiitiil for tlin iiiiriiliw ni" :it'l'i'if'iiiig the voiiiliimtinii if ihr iwirisl iii' :muh ggrziin. i

ii'liuii Sii Li'iuitml, Qiiiiiimriiivsly lziirti imi'- i-iiiizigms-iii" :shining fir iiiiiiiiiiyg iii;;' misi lin IML-wi nini ziii iiriiilrifsi'if iii' lint :intl l-iix' inviting iii'oifni'tiiffi @nii il l.

i `iir inwinnen, if :i

dissolved cr condensed powder containing twenty per cent. of dior trinitro-benzene,

uu luuuuuuuuuu uuuuuu ull u ul or two hours the grains lose their gelatinous appearance and develop entirely different ballistic properties. The fused ingredients not being,r suicient to act as solvents on the whole of each grain leave certain parts less acted on and quicker in combustion, the partially-burned grains becoming perforated and the burning surfaces increasing as the combustion progresses.

If any of the ingredients are to any extent soluble in water, suoli as dinitrotoluene, this must be taken into account, so that the correct amount is left in the nished product.

In all cases it is desirable to submit the finished product to a Washing operation before drying.

What I claim is-L o l. The heroin-described process for producing a gelatinized smokeless gunpowder of a nitro-cellulose base, which consists in granulating and subsequently swelling the resulting grains by acting on them with an aqueous solution of a nitro-cellulose solvent, substan-v tially as described.

a nitro-cellulose base, which consists in granulating and subsequently swelling the resulting grains by acting on them with an aqueous afterward washing and drying the same, substantially as described.

3. The process of manufacturing anexploof a ketone previously saturated with any of the ingredients which it would otherwise dissolve out of the powder, substantially as demy hand this 4th day of February, 1897 .FREDERICK VILLIAM JONES. Witnesses:

0 r D liu [lill [lili i li l li l solution cf a ketone saturated with any insive, which consists in treating a gelatinized scribed.

L. G. DUFF GRANT,

l ucing a gelatinized smokeless gunpowder of gredients of the grain soluble therein and condensed powder with an aqueous solution In testimony whereof I have hereunto set CHAs. iB. BURDON. 

